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Blues for the Red Sun

Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun Audio CD

A fair review of the Kyuss "Blues for the Red Sun" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Kyuss reviews here, or go back to the Kyuss tabs.

Band: Kyuss
Title: Blues for the Red Sun
Rating:

Release Date: 1992-06-30
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Thumb 2: Green Machine 3: Molten Universe 4: 50 Million Year Trip (Downside Up) 5: Thong Song 6: Apothecaries' Weight 7: Caterpillar March 8: Freedom Run 9: 800 10: Writhe 11: Capsized 12: Allen's Wrench 13: Mondo Generator 14: Yeah

The Ultimate Soundtrack To the Desert
In fact, I even think they actually played their music out in the desert, as a special kind of concert. Desert rock gods Kyuss (formed in Palm Desert, California), featuring a young Josh Homme before Queen of the Stone Age, lives true to all what you'd expect from that bad-arse label. Blues For the Red Sun is the PERFECT record for road traveling across any desert, but especially those painted deserts of states such as Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and maybe Texas and Oklahoma. It's when you want to get in touch with some kind of primal thing within that only the desert can bring out, something a bit more exhilarting than what you would get with country music.

I can't stress this enough of how freakin' atmospheric this album is. It just perfectly matches the desert, the feeling of being in the desert, as well as the exhilartion of the desert, which what makes Blues For the Red Sun destined to be [. . . ]. With that backbone premise, BFTRD quickly becomes a rock fans dream, thanks to memorable performances and so well constructed music from the whole band. Josh Homme and Nick, sludgy, mouth-watering mixture of bass (which sometimes wanders off desert sand stoner riffs, and the occasional solo are huge and melodic, and Brant Bjork crashing drums further back up the boom (although bogged down a bit by the sometimes flat production). John Garcia is perhaps the most underrated frontman of the 90's. His raspy, full of attitude vocals add so much to the already desert rock of this largely incredible record. His lyrics aren't exactly top notch and thinkable, but they suit the song's theme and attitude, which is of course, a high compliment. He's everything Chad Kroger tries to be, and that's kind of an insult because Chad Kroger sucks! Someone said it before, but this is extremely feel good ______, the type of feel-good vibe when you feel like you just dont' give a _______.

Every track is colossal and a force to reckoned with (well, expect Mondo Generator). Sometimes anthemic, sometimes jammy, sometimes epic, these songs are, in the words of NME, figuratively melted into "a hundredewight of hot sand into desert metal". Kyuss's diverse and rocking tunes are all stellar here (Mondo Generator not included). Opening with the colossal (as descriped by. . . . . SHOTGUN METHOD! NO WAY!) Thumb, it seagues with Green Machine, a chugging, dirty anthem with a killer chorus. It __________ rips. Other strong highlights include the epic 500 Million Year Trip and the burnout Thong Song. Writhe is really good too, as well as Freedom Run, especially when it cooks, it becomes high-flying exhilartion. Allen's Wrench is the final, most exciting stretch. These tracks are worth cracking up while driving a high-powered pick-up truck through the desert, making sure that spins and engine roaring make their way into the romp. Or chilling with a six pack. Whatever you want, Kyuss will never make you feel bad with their songs.

Kyuss is also pretty prone to throwing in some instrumentals as well, and the results are just as good as they do with vocals. Some may think there is not any point to the tracks. The kind of missed the point themselves. But really, to dismiss them would be futile. Molten Universe flows with molten like riffs, exploding with force like magma (I love the look of magma *drool*) and feels extremely hot. Catepillar March is groovy and trippy. The relaxing Capsized is like dwelling in the Grand Canyon in the sunset, while the tribal 800 is music to the red rocks of Utah, with some ceremony. My favorite, Apothecarie's Weight, could only be described as elemental. It's a showcase of the band's excellent composition skills. Vocals are not needed for these songs because it would only be distracting. This is music that becomes a part of your memories because it only enchanced whatever you attach it to. Movie buffs wish movies could do that (the only time that happens is when nostalgia kicks in).

Not every track is perfect. While most is perfectly executed, Writhe is great but not entirely perfect, Freedom Run is a bit incosistent (but when it rocks, it really gets [. . . ]), and the meh-instrumentally Mondo Generator is ruined by the awful vocals. The last track, "yeah", might ruin the album's ending after Allen's Wrench (since I skip Mondo Generator) so I reccomend not listening to that. Also, I wouldn't mind seeing a remaster of this album, but that's not really a concern, because the music kicks _______ [. . . ] anyway. But that's mostly petty gripes. The album's atmosphere, fun, near consistency, and sheer [. . . ] factor and attitude is what makes this a classic, something that most other Desert Rock artists sadly lack. Essential along with the follow up, Welcome To Sky Valley.

9/10.

Absolutely Speechless
I herd of Kyuss 8 years ago when I was learning how to play guitar & I remember a Guitar video from Daron Malakian of SOAD, and he was playing this riff that he said was from Kyuss. How the ____ did this band not hit it BIG? Maybe it's better that way but I'm angry at myself for not getting a hold of these guys sooner. Well I never forgot that name just from that little riff and recently I thought I would check em out.

Holy mother of God this Album kicks and it's one of the best I have come across in a long long time. I don't get some Metal Heads sometimes. As a Guitar player myself, you can have all the screaming in the world but if there's no "Hook" then it's just noise. The reason Sabbath was so popular was because it was simple and had HUGE hook. I wish more so called metal bands learned this.

I remember when I was a kid & I first herd a Sabbath Album that was my Dad's, I felt like I was listening to something powerful that came from Hell and this album would of made me feel the same way. That's not easy to do.
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A deadset classic marred only by dull production
It just sounds totally flat with no dynamics whatsoever. Listen to this album through headphones and see what I mean. Seriously, this album could and should be one the world's greatest instrumental sonic delights/assaults.

I've just bought Flower Travellin' Band's amazing album "Satori", who you could say were a Japanese Black Sabbath. Right after listening to that I put this on and what a difference! I mean that album is over 35 years old and just sounds incredible! "Blues for the Red Sun" deserves to sound just as good.

The frustrating thing is that all the ingredients are in there already, it's just waiting for a remix. Everytime I hear it, especially the song Freedom Run, I can't help but think of the missed potential.

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Josh Homme played like this at 18 wtf!
The riffage is sick. Being a qotsa fan I was very eager to here one of kyuss's finest albums if not my favorite next Welcome to Sky Valley. I don't think people understand that Homme is really a prodigy-this album came out when he was just 18 or 19 years old and to be playing at this level at such a young age -even for the best guitarist-is just boggling. Buy it; love it and enjoy the exceptional and irreplaceble talent that was Kyuss.

Music to chill to

Musically, not as good as Welcome to Sky Valley, but without the annoying three-song tracks.

You can see a complete list of all Kyuss discography, or go back to the Kyuss tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.